Do you often purchase specific groceries with a recipe or menu in mind, then for some reason you don’t get around to cooking it, and the food stuffs you bought gets shoved to the back of the freezer, refrigerator, or cupboard? Then later when you do decide to use them, you discover it spoiled or out of date? Or, are you like me, and can’t remember what you do have on hand so you buy a product only to discover you apparently bought the same item before and now have two, three, or more duplicates?

To save money and cut back on waste, I decided to take a good look at what I had on hand that I could use up and see how little I could spend on my next grocery trip. What I discovered surprised me and I thought you might like to try this little experiment also.

First, organize your cupboards and refrigerator so you know what you have. I removed everything and arranged all products according to canned goods (like beans, tomatoes, soups), boxed items like Tuna Helper, pasta, rice, etc. Next look in your freezer and refrigerator and list all the meats, veggies, breads, milk, cheese, fruits, veggies, dressings, etc. (this took me only about 45 minutes). Looks like I have about seven meals worth of beans and another seven meals of fish!

To create a menu that would help me use up all this food, I listed a main entrée for each night in the month, crossing each off on my list as I went so I’d knew what was left to choose from. In planning menus I always try include foods from each food group into the meal. By adding a fruit and one to two vegetables it also keeps the caloric content of the meal lower than eating all starch and protein. Here are just a few menu ideas I came up with items from my cupboard and freezer:

– Some of those canned black beans combined with frozen spinach and frozen shredded cheese will make a tasty hot spinach dip, or add them to a lettuce salad for protein instead of meat.

– Canned fruit can be added to Jell-O for a refreshing dessert on a hot day.

– A cold salad in a vinaigrette marinate can be made from onions, canned green beans and kidney beans.

– Fish is very tasty grilled. By scaling one side and leaving the skin on that side, it makes for easier grilling. After I rinse the fish, I dab it dry, then spray both sides of the fish with Pam spray and then add spices. Some good ones to try are lemon pepper, cumin, cayenne pepper, celery seed, garlic, paprika, and thyme. Place the skinned side down first, then when you flip it over you will grill the skin side, grilling it this way helps hold the filet together.

– I’ll make pasta sauce with all those canned tomatoes and mushrooms and can or freeze the fresh tomatoes. If I’m really organized I can make enough tomato sauce and freeze it in individual meal amounts.

So far it has been 10 days since I’ve bought groceries and except for milk or bread I think I can hold out another 10 before I have to buy staple food items again. If you have spinach or beans available in your cupboard, try the following recipe.

Black Bean and Spinach Dip

From “Cooking For Life” Recipes for Healthy Living

Published by Avera Mckennan Foundation

1 package (10 oz.) frozen spinach, thawed, drained, chopped

2 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 jar (16 oz.) of thick and chunky medium salsa

2 cans (15 oz. each) black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can (4 oz.) chopped green chilies (optional if you don’t like it too hot)

1/4 teaspoon garlic salt (optional)

Mix all ingredients together. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Serve with tortilla chips. Serves 15. Serving size is about 1/3 cup. 144 calories, 9 grams protein, and 5 grams fiber, per serving.

Denise Arnold is a registered and licensed dietitian at Albert Lea Medical Center — part of Mayo Health System.